Inkspire

3 hours.
More than 100 colonists.
342 chests of tea.
Nearly $1,000,000 today.

Cries against tyranny ran rampant as numerous colonizers – dressed as Native Americans – threw tea into the Boston Harbor.

“The cause of Boston . . . now is and ever will be considered as the cause of America.”
George Washington

The Sons of Liberty

A collection of colonial merchants joined in solidarity and became the Sons of Liberty. The reason for their founding was to protest against numerous forms of taxation – the Stamp Act being a prime example. In fact, historians have assumed that it was the Stamp Act that spurred these men to conglomerate in the summer of 1765. Their motto soon became “No taxation without representation”. Known for inciting violent protests, the Sons of Liberty consisted of some of the most troublesome characters in the colonies, and it was those same characters that made up the majority of the group that threw tea leaves into the harbor on December 16, 1773.

“We then were ordered by our commander to open the hatches and take out all the chests of tea and throw them overboard, and we immediately proceeded to execute his orders, first cutting and splitting the chests with our tomahawks, so as thoroughly to expose them to the effects of the water.”
– George Hewes (participant in the Boston Tea Party)

Causes of the Boston Tea Party

Just as any other story, there were different sides to this event. Numerous costly wars, the most notable being the 7-Years War fought to keep overseas colonies, caused Britain to fall deep into debt. Britain justified passing the following policies with their growing debt and the fact that they fought on behalf of colonists: The Stamp Act, which taxed colonists on every form of printed paper, and the Townshend Acts, which placed taxes on essential items like paint, glass, lead, and tea. On the flip side, the people of the colonies were enraged because they had to pay for British affairs without having any representation in Parliament (the British government). It was this dispute that led to the Boston Tea Party and the Revolutionary War.

Effects of the Boston Tea Party

After the entire ordeal, colonial dissenters such as John Adams were delighted while elites in the colonies were furious. The Boston Tea Party, despite being entirely nonviolent, caused Britain to retaliate with the Coercive Acts (also known as the Intolerable Acts). The colonists planned further resistance afterward.

“The People should never rise, without doing something to be remembered—something notable And striking. This Destruction of the Tea is so bold, so daring, so firm, intrepid and inflexible, and it must have so important Consequences, and so lasting, that I can’t but consider it as an Epocha in History.”
– John Adams (talking in his diary about how the BTP would change reality)

No Taxation Without Representation

The Boston Tea Party is a transformative point in American history, and it set the stage for a much larger revolution. Its ideal still rings through the lands of the United States of America: “No taxation without representation”. While some focus on the very first two words and claim that taxes should be drastically reduced, it’s important to remember that the creators of the nation were far more fixated on the “representation” portion. In fact, it was that same desire to have a voice in government that influenced the Constitution itself.

Why is this Important?

In the American government of today, taxes have become a highly controversial matter in politics. Some ask for less while others believe that more is the key. It’s crucial to remember that the founders of the country rebelled in order to get proper representation and a say in law-making; they did not in fact have anything against taxes in general. The moral of this is to look beyond the surface level of matters to understand them, and this tale is told by the founding fathers and the documents they wrote. Remember, everyone has a story to tell.